Perks of the Job

Gordon Korman visited the Chicago area last week and I had the pleasure of laughing along with him as he spoke about his books, his philosophy of life, and his writing process. His manner of speaking reminded me of Jerry Seinfeld, deadpan and deadly delivery. I joined all the others in the room as I chuckled through his presentation. Mr. Korman allows his humor to bring us a different perspective on life, and it makes his books favorites among so many kids.

Mr. Korman told us how we got started writing. His 7th grade teacher gave him a free assignment. "Write whatever you want," he said, and Korman did just that. He took the whole semester to complete the writing assignment and it ended up the basis for his first novel, This Can't Be Happening at MacDonald Hall. It ended up getting published when Korman was just a freshman in high school! He's published more than 60 books since then.

As a dog lover, one of my favorite Korman titles is No More Dead Dogs. The main character, Wallace Wallace, has to write about Old Shep, My Pal. So Wallace Wallace delivers his opinion with no holds barred. "Old Shep, My Pal is the most boring book I've read in my entire life. I did not have a favorite character. I hated everybody equally." He rants to his teacher about all the dog books he's had to read and the crime that the dogs all die in the end. So, of course, he ends up in detention. Without giving away the ending, Wallace is able to rewrite history and save us from another dead dog production.

Korman's writing has taken a turn and is now participating in a unique writing opportunity by taking part in the Scholastic Series, The 39 Clues, which is being written by 5 different popular authors. Korman's title, One False Note, has great suspense, wonderful historical connections to Mozart, Ben Franklin. If you are a mystery fan, pick up the 39 clues and dive in. You'll have a fun time figuring out what's what with the Cahill clan.